Fire at Trump Tower leaves man dead and 6 firefighters injured

CNN Wire

10 months ago

WASHINGTON — A fire broke out at Trump Tower on Saturday, leaving one man dead and six firefighters injured, the New York City Fire Department said.

Police identified the man killed as Todd Brassner, 67, a resident of the building’s 50th floor. He was taken to the hospital in critical condition but later died, said spokeswoman Angelica Conroy of the Fire Department.

Brassner was unconscious and unresponsive when firefighters pulled him out, the New York Police Department said. The medical examiner’s office will determine the cause of death.

The fire was contained to the 50th floor of the tower, located on Fifth Avenue in New York. It was ruled under control around 9 p.m., two hours after it was originally reported, the FDNY tweeted.

Six firefighters suffered injuries that are not life threatening, Conroy said.

No members of the Trump family were at the tower during the fire, Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro said.

Before news of the death, President Donald Trump congratulated firefighters and tweeted that the fire was out and “very confined” in the “well built building.”

The upper-level residential floors are not equipped with fire sprinklers, according to Nigro. When asked to comment on the President’s tweet, Nigro said the building “sure stood up quite well.”

His son, Eric Trump, also congratulated the firefighters before news of the death, saying “the @FDNY and @NYPD are truly some of the most incredible people anywhere!”

Brassner’s apartment was valued at $2.5 million, according to bankruptcy documents from 2015. Brassner had an extensive collection of prized works of art, including a portrait of himself by Andy Warhol, as well as hundreds of guitars and ukeleles, according to the bankruptcy documents.

The fire at Trump Tower comes three months after a minor fire broke out in a cooling tower on the roof of the building, according to CNN affiliate WCBS-TV. Two people were injured in the fire, which officials said may have been caused by electrical heaters inside the cooling tower.